127 



years, as it is clearly of the utmost importance to all meteoro- 

 logical research that observations from all kinds of auto- 

 matic instruments be thoroughly investigated and discussed 

 In the first table below is represented the number of days 

 in the year 1869 on which the mean direction of the wind 

 was on or about the following 16 points of the compass : — 



Points of the compass... N XNE NE ENE E ESE SE SSE 



Number of days 16 11 14 18 16 13 10 15 



Points of the compass... S SSW SW WSW W WNW NW NNW 



Number of days 29 32 18 33 46 45 28 21 



This shows how the frequency of the winds on the west 

 side of the compass exceeds the east side ; but this is seen 

 in a more striking manner when the above days are referred 

 to the four points of the compass only. When thus reduced 

 they appear as follows : — 



Cardinal Points N E S W 



Niimber of days 84*5 56-5 89*5 134-5 



The maximum of direction here seems to lie between the 

 south and the west, and the minimum between the north 

 and the east; and as I have shown in papers previously 

 read before this Section that the greatest amount of rain 

 falls when the direction of the wind is between the south 

 and the west, and the least amount falls when the direction 

 of the wind is between the north and the east the coinci- 

 dence is not without significance. 



In the following table is represented the mean number of 

 degrees through which the wind veered when the mean or 

 general direction was on or about the given 16 points of the. 

 compass. 



Points of the compass... N NNE 

 Number of degrees *) 



through which the > 107 124 



wind veered } 



Points of the compass... S SSW 

 Number of degrees ") 



through which the [ 123 133 



wind veered j 



If the number of degrees of range on the East and West 



B 



